


The Daughter of Athena

by LilyCat03



Category: Percy Jackson and the Olympians - Rick Riordan
Genre: Action/Adventure, Alternate Universe - Ancient Greece & Rome, Angst, Drama, F/M, Friendship, Humor, Romance
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2012-12-24
Updated: 2016-11-30
Packaged: 2017-11-22 06:56:39
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 3,099
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/607073
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LilyCat03/pseuds/LilyCat03
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Living in Ancient Greece is difficult for Annabeth, daughter of Athena. Woman have no rights, not even in who they marry. To stop the feud between Poseidon and Athena, the gods demand that Annabeth marry the son of Poseidon. AU Percabeth</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This story is set in Ancient Greece and while I know this is a common theme in PJ stories I've never found one that is realistic enough for me to want to read, so I decided to write one. I've done some research on Ancient Greek life, but for this fic everyone knows the Gods and Demigods are real, and the Mist doesn't exist. I've also not changed any names to avoid any confusion, but with that said please enjoy this fic and I'm grateful for any feedback.

**The Daughter of Athena**

**Chapter 1**

Annabeth Chase sighed as she gazed out of her bedroom window. It just wasn't fair that she must be stuck inside the house on such a glorious day. Athens, her mother's namesake, was a beautiful city and it was just unfortunate that she hardly ever got to enjoy it. She'd only see the Parthenon once in her life, and that was from a distance. It was a fate that all Greek women shared, to be confined to their homes for most of their lives. She supposed it might change if she were to marry someday, a fact that put a frown on Annabeth's face.

Not for the first time Annabeth wished she had been born a man, they had a freedom she would never enjoy. It simply wasn't fair that the fairer sex was subjected to such dull lives. They didn't even have the right to vote in the elections. As much as she didn't care for the barbaric city-state of Sparta, at least women had rights there. Annabeth turned from the window and picked up a sheath that was sitting on the stand by her bed. She grabbed a well work leather hilt and pulled out a long bronze knife.

Many days her one consolation that broke up the monotony of her days was practicing with her blade. It was something her father didn't approve of, but since his daughter's mother was the goddess of battle, it was something he turned a blind eye to. Annabeth's arrival on her father's doorstep in a golden cradle was his greatest gift from Athena ever, he always said. The only problem, of course, was the fact that Annabeth was a demigod.

She constantly practiced with her celestial bronze knife because from time to time monsters attacked. First there was the hellhound that attacked on her 13th birthday, and then there was the Cyclopes and the sphinx. The combination of her knife and invisibility cloak (which was a gift from Athena) had been the difference between life and death. Annabeth was 15 now and would've been in an arranged marriage with some stranger if it wasn't for the fact that she was a demigod and therefore brought danger with her no matter what.

Male demigods were respected, loved, and became great heroes. They faced the same dangers, but people elevated these men as heroes and they all became very wealthy men. Women demigods were another story. The daughters of Aphrodite were concubine slaves, but the rest were feared, despised, and generally ignored by the public. Athena may be well respected, especially in Athens, but the same courtesy wasn't shared with her daughter.

Another thing set her apart from the rest of the Athenians was her appearance. Annabeth had the same curly, long blonde hair as her mother, and the same intelligent grey eyes. Her complexion too didn't look very Mediterranean, it was light enough that she had to be careful of getting sunburnt. It was rare for Greeks to have blonde hair, and that was another thing that people were surprised about when they saw her. If she wasn't a half-blood then someone would have petitioned to marry her already,

There was another problem for her especially. Poseidon and Athena were at war. Ever since the founding of Athens, the sea god had raged on the city. Ships sank from storms that weren't there a few minutes before, fisherman hardly caught anything, and sometimes earthquakes rumbled through the land; Poseidon had no mercy. Since she was the daughter of Athena it would be perilous for her to go in the water, all the other demigod children of Athena had died when they entered the realm of Poseidon. As far as she knew, Annabeth was Athena only child still alive.

"Annabeth!"

She sheathed her knife and stood just as her father entered the room. Frederick Chase was a middle aged balding man, who was born wealthy and one of Athen's most prominent philosophers. He had a look of extreme exasperation (and was that fear?) as he looked at his daughter. "Didn't you hear me calling?" he asked.

"No," Annabeth said, "sorry."

"We have a visitor," he started.

Annabeth's eyebrow went up in curiosity. "Who is it?"

"The Oracle of Delphi," he said in barely a whisper.

"The Oracle, here?" Annabeth gasped. "But why would she be here?"

"She asked for you by name," Frederick replied.

As Annabeth made her way to the reception room, her mind buzzed with possibilities. Though everyone in Athens knew of the resident daughter of Athena, the Oracle always seemed imperious and distant. The Oracle was the one woman who never followed the rules of the land, as she was supernaturally protected by Apollo.

The woman whose head was covered by a veil smiled gently as Annabeth approached. "I'm pleased to make your acquaintance daughter of Athena," the woman replied. "I'm the Oracle of Delphi, but my name is Rachel."

"What brings you here, Rachel? Annabeth asked curiously.

"I'm afraid that I bear bad tidings. The war between Athena and Poseidon has reached its breaking point. The gods had been forced to negotiate a new treaty, one that will radically change your life." Rachel explained.

"What do you mean?" Annabeth asked.

"For there to be peace amongst the gods, you must make a great sacrifice to end the fued," Rachel said.

Annabeth waited, anxiously awaiting to hear the verdict.

" _You are to marry the son of Poseidon."_


	2. Chapter 2

**The Daughter of Athena**

**Chapter 2**

" _You are to marry the son of Poseidon."_

"What?" Annabeth gasped. There was no way this could possible, this was entirely ridiculous.

"I'm sorry," Rachel apologized. "But I had a vision, Poseidon and Athena made a truce, and this is their peace bargain. By having two of their children marry, they hope to ease the tensions that have lasted for a hundred years."

"No, I'm not going to do it," Annabeth replied folding her arms. "They can't make me!"

"Annabeth!" Frederick reprimanded her sternly. "You can't dare go against the gods, it will put us all at risk! Besides that it is high time you were married."

"Who exactly am I supposed to marry?" Annabeth asked as she glowered at the Oracle.

"The only son of Poseidon still alive," Rachel answered. "Perseus Jackson."

Annabeth wracked her brain, the name sounded so familiar. And then it came to her. "No, I don't want to marry _him_ ,"

"Who is he?" Frederick asked.

"He's that demigod who saved those slaves from a ship bound for Sparta," Annabeth replied. "And people think he's the most amazing thing since the lyre."

"What's the matter with that?" Frederick asked her, clearly exasperated.

Annabeth rolled her eyes, "You wouldn't understand."

"He is more than just a hero, he is also a prince," Rachel replied.

* * *

Percy Jackson grinned as he breathed in the salty sea air. He stood alone on a large Greek fishing boat that would normally be manned by ten men. Even though Percy was alone controlling a ship was as simple as breathing. He was in his father's domain and there was no place he would rather be. He watched the coastline appear on the horizon and adjusted the sails with only the power of his mind.

Percy recognized the familiar shape of the palace appear as he drew closer. He had lived a privileged as the sole heir to the Corinth throne. There were times when he felt ready to take on the full scope of his future responsibilities. Other times he chaffed against his title and wished to live a far simpler life. Still there was no escaping his fate, he was prince heir to his city-state's throne, and also the son of Poseidon.

His mother Sally had met the sea god years ago and was pregnant a short time later. As she was the daughter of a king, it was something of a scandal at the time. After Percy's birth she married a man named Paul, and for a time the rumors died down. But as Percy grew it became apparent very quickly that he was not just a demigod, but also the son of one of the most powerful gods.

Percy had to learn very quickly how to protect himself from the monsters and his considerable powers over water had saved his life on more than one occasion. Percy was also a highly skilled fighter and his weapon of choice for monster slaying was his celestial bronze sword Riptide. To his people Percy was not just their prince, but he was also the hero who protected them from monster. Never mind that the monsters were only there because of him in the first place, demigod odor was seemingly impossible to mask to them.

The ship reached port and Percy mentally threw down the anchor and tied the ship to the dock. The second he stepped foot on the wooden planks of the dock, he heard a bleating voice call out his name.

The bleating became obvious when the figure turned out to be a satyr. "Percy," he said. "Your father has requested your presence immediately."

Percy was unmistakably surprised; his father hardly ever spoke to him. It was just the way all the gods were; they never wanted to favor one of their children over the others.

"Grover," he said, "Where is my father?"

"Right here," another voice said right beside him.

Poseidon looked as he always did to Percy, he had the same black hair and green that his father did and was decked out in full Greek battle armor and carried his trident.

"Son, it has been far too long," Poseidon said. "Thank you Grover."

Grover bowed low to the sea god and scampered off as fast as his goat legs would carry him.

Percy nodded, "How are you, Dad?" he asked, feeling somewhat foolish as he always did when talking to his immortal parent.

"Better than I have been," Poseidon replied. "The war with Athena has taken its toll, but now I believe we have reached a compromise."

"Really?" Percy asked in surprise. "What sort of compromise?"

"You are going to have to help me with it," Poseidon admitted. "But first, give me your hand."

Percy frowned in confusion, but he did as his father said. The second he touched his father's hand they were sudden in the middle of the throne room. On the dais Percy's mom Sally gasped, but she was not the only one. As ever the hall was full of entertainers, servants, satyrs, scholars, visiting nobility and dozens of other people. All were silent as they recognized that there was a god in their presence. As a general rule the Greek people feared Poseidon, but they also respected his great power. They depended on fishing so much that it was common to pray for Poseidon's protection before setting sail. To see him here now was certainly alarming to most people.

"People of Corinth, my war with Athena is at an end!" the god declared in a booming voice.

Some people cheered, but most remained silent. Poseidon paused for effect before continuing. "No longer will mortals suffer due to our disagreement. As such a compromise was needed, something to bridge the gap."

Poseidon looked down and smiled at Percy who suddenly felt somewhat queasy, what was his father planning?

"My son is no longer a child, but a man who will soon take the mortal throne. The arrangement was simple," Poseidon paused again. "My son is ready to be a husband and so he must marry Athena's daughter Annabeth Chase of Athens by the summer solstice!"

Everyone gasped, but Percy couldn't think straight, he stared at his father completely dumbfounded.

"If the marriage doesn't take place, then I'm afraid this war will never end." Poseidon warned, and disappeared as quickly as he'd come, evaporating into a puddle of sea water.

Immediately the talking started again and people ran up to Percy asking him a million questions. He couldn't hear any of them; he could only hear the beating of his heart in his head. How could Poseidon do this to him, Percy certainly didn't feel so ready to get married. He already had a hard enough time talking to girls already, but now he had to marry a complete stranger. Who was this Annabeth Chase, and was there any possibility of this working out? No way in Hades.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I know it has been forever since I updated and there really isn't a good enough excuse to make up for it. This story has not been neglected and has already been completed so it will be finished. I will update weekly from here on out. Thanks for reading!

**Chapter 3**

  
It had been a week since the Oracle gave her dire message, and Annabeth was doing all in her power to forget it even happened. She didn’t like to think about her supposed fate and since there had been no other messages from the gods, she was inclined to forget about this son of Poseidon she was supposed to marry. Still it loomed over her head like a monster waiting to pounce and she had a feeling that this wasn’t the end of it.

Annabeth tried to throw herself in any activity that would help distract her, but it didn’t always work. She looked at the loom sitting in front of her; her mother make have invented the loom, but Annabeth didn’t have amazing talent in using one. She had miscounted her rows and it would take at least an hour for her to repair the sloppy work she’d done. Still it would distract her for a little while at least.

As she started to work again, she sensed someone was watching her. She turned to see her father standing behind her.

“You look so miserable Annabeth,” Frederick said sadly. “I think it would do you some good to visit your mother’s temple. You haven’t been there in months.”

“When are we going?” she asked, unable to hide the excitement in her voice.

“As soon as you are ready,” he answered.  
~~~~~  
A short while later, Annabeth walked with her father through the busy streets of Athens. It had been several months since she’d been permitted to leave the house, so this was certainly a rare treat. Frederick had offered for them to take the chariot to the temple, but Annabeth asked if they could walk instead. She had lived in Athens her entire life, but the city seemed so foreign to her, so mysterious.

Her favorite part about seeing the city of Athens was the buildings. If she had been born a man, Annabeth would’ve built buildings as amazing as the Parthenon. She hid her obsession well from her father, and often times she would stay up late sketching buildings by candlelight.

Soon Annabeth could see her mother’s temple, and the marble columns glistened in the son. This temple wasn’t the largest or most opulent, but this one was the closest to her home, and one of her favorites. As Athena was the patron goddess of Athens, there were no shortage of temples, but some of them were restricted to men only.  
As she entered the temple, Frederick waited at the entrance while Annabeth entered. The temple was full today and she could tell that it would be awhile before she reached the shrine of her mother. But when Annabeth pulled back the veil covering her face, people drew away from her. Most of the locals recognized her by sight of course, and wanted nothing to do with the demigod daughter of their patron goddess.

Annabeth ignored them and walked forward until she reached the alter at last. She looked up to see the marble bust of her mother, looking so ominous and so distant. On the few occasions she’d met her godly parent, Annabeth had come to admire her greatly. Athena was every bit the goddess of wisdom she appeared to be, and at a moment like this she wished to be blessed with even an ounce of that knowledge.

She fell to her knees and prayed for many things, but primarily about the Oracle’s message. She prayed that it wasn’t true, and that she wouldn’t have to marry this son of Poseidon.

All of a sudden Annabeth noticed something strange. It was silent in the temple, as if someone had just turned off the sounds of hundreds of people in the temple. All of a sudden everyone in the temple fell to their knees reverently. Annabeth followed their gaze and looked up again at the statue of her mother and gasped. Instead of marble there was flesh, the goddess was there standing in place of the statue.

Athena calculating grey eyes and blonde hair looked almost identical to Annabeth’s. Those who before might’ve doubted that she really was Athena’s daughter quickly put those theories to rest. The goddess looked down at her daughter with a strange look in her eye, that made Annabeth only feel anxious.  
Finally after a long minute, the goddess spoke. “People of Athens, let it be known that my daughter Annabeth Chase is hereby engaged to Perseus Jackson, Prince of Corinth and son of Poseidon.”

The dread Annabeth felt before multiplied, and the injustice of it all wanted to make her scream in absolute frustration. How could her mother do this to her? Did she care at all for her daughter?

As suddenly as the goddess appeared, she was gone. It appeared that Athena had melted back into the statue. Annabeth felt everyone’s eyes on her and whispers started immediately. She stood up and turned to leave. Everyone stepped away from her as she passed, and she looked straight ahead trying not to cry. When she saw her father waiting for her at the entrance to the temple, Annabeth could tell from the look on his face, that he heard it all

As soon as she pulled the veil up over her face again, Annabeth couldn’t stop the tears from escaping. She would have to leave her beloved Athens behind and move to Corinth, she didn’t even like Corinth. How could she possibly leave the entire life she knew, to marry a complete stranger? Annabeth figured that she shouldn’t be surprised, after all most women shared the same fate.

It took the entire silent walk for Annabeth to get control of her emotions again, and by the time they reached home, she wore a mask of indifference even if that is not how she felt. When they walked in their courtyard, a servant ran up to Frederick, bowed and handed him a scroll. He rolled out the papyrus and looked at Annabeth.

“What is it?” Annabeth asked.

“We have been invited to visit the royal household in Corinth,” he explained.

And Annabeth thought her day couldn’t get any worse.


End file.
